Welcome

Welcome to EPsy 3264: Basic and Applied Statistics.


Instructor

Andrew Zieffler (zief0002@umn.edu)
Office: Education Sciences Building 178
Office Hours: Tuesday 9:30 AM–10:30 AM; and by appointment


Classroom


Course Content and Syllabus

EPsy 3264 is designed to engage students using a modeling and simulation approach to inference. This course uses pedagogical principles that are founded in research, such as daily small group activities and discussion. Upon completion of this course, students should have an understanding of the foundational concepts of data, variation and inference, as well as an appreciation for the fundamental role that statistics plays in a host of disciplines, such as business, economics, law, and medicine.

  • The course syllabus is available here.


Course Materials

  • The course textbook, which includes the out-of-class readings, is available online at http://zief0002.github.io/ statistical-thinking/.

  • You will work from the lab manual, Statistical Thinking 4.1: A Simulation Approach to Modeling Uncertainty, every day in class. Click here to download a PDF copy of the lab manual. You will need to bring the lab manual to class with you every day.

  • There are several data sets used in the lab manual, as well as in EPSY 3264 assignments. Click here to download a ZIP file to your computer that includes all the data sets. Once the ZIP file has been downloaded to your computer, double-click the ZIP file to unzip it and access the materials.

  • Much of the material presented in the lab manual requires the use of TinkerPlotsTM. This software can be downloaded (for Mac or PC), and a license can be purchased from http://www.tinkerplots.com/. Note, since this software needs to be installed, it will not work on a Chromebook or other notebooks that only run web apps.


Getting Help

There are several things you can do to be successful in this course. First and foremost, complete all of the readings and come prepared to class. Complete all of the lab assignments. Ask questions. If you are experiencing problems, need help, or have any questions or other course-related concerns, do not hesitate to get in touch with the instructor or one of the Teaching Assisstants. Note: If you are unable to meet during the scheduled office hours, we can work with you to find a day/time that works in your schedule!

We have four Teaching Assisstants who you can help you with the course material:

Manos Hatzimalonas (manos@philotimo.org)
Office: Education Sciences Building 192
Office Hours: Thursdays 1:00 PM–3:00 PM; and by appointment


Vimal Rao (rao00013@umn.edu)
Office: Education Sciences Building 192
Office Hours: Thursdays 1:00 PM–3:00 PM; and by appointment


Johanna Schultz (schu4338@umn.edu)
Office: Education Sciences Building 192
Office Hours: Thursdays 1:00 PM–3:00 PM; and by appointment


Jesslyn Valerie (valer066@umn.edu)
Office: Education Sciences Building 192
Office Hours: Thursdays 1:00 PM–3:00 PM; and by appointment

Schedule

Below is the tenative schedule for the class. The dates are subject to change at the instructor’s discretion. Readings should be completed prior to class. Assignments are due at the beginning of the class period that they are due


Calendar


Unit 0: Introduction
  Sept. 04 Introduction to EPsy 3264
Unit 1: Modeling and Simulation
  Sept. 09 Reading: Introduction
Reading: Modeling & Simulation
Spotify Playlists
  Sept. 11 Reading: Generating Data From Models
Assignment #1 Due (Learning TinkerPlots)
Generating Random Data—Cat Factory
  Sept. 16 Reading: Monte Carlo Simulation
Introduction to Monte Carlo Simulation
  Sept. 18 Assignment #2 Due (Free Throws)
Automating the Simulation Process
  Sept. 23 Group Quiz #1
Unit 2: Modeling Sampling Variation
  Sept. 25 Reading: Modeling Sampling Variation
Monday Breakups
  Sept. 30 Features of Distributions
  Sept. 25 Reading: Describing Distributions
Assignment #3 Due (Motorcycle Helmet Law)
Helper or Hinderer
  Oct. 7 Comparing Hand Spans
  Oct. 9 Assignment #4 Due (College Debt)
Racial Bias in Police Stops
  Oct. 14 Group Quiz #2

Assignments

Below are the due dates for the assignments, as well as links to the RMD and PDF files for each assignment. The due dates may change at the instructor’s discretion. Any revised due dates will be announced in class and posted to the website.


Assignment Due Date PDF
Assignment #1: Learning TinkerPlots Sept. 11
Assignment #2: Free Throws Sept. 18
Assignment #3: Motorcycle Helmet Laws Oct. 2
Assignment #4: College Debt Oct. 9
Assignment #5: Dolphin Therapy Oct.30
Assignment #6: Lyric Readability Nov. 18
Assignment #7: College Student Health Survey Dec. 2
Assignment #8: TBA Dec. 11